


the most unlikely places

by exarite



Series: Alternate Universe Challenge [8]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, M/M, Magic, Morally Ambiguous Character, memory problems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-06-27 06:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15679950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exarite/pseuds/exarite
Summary: At first, Yuuri’s only worry was the fact that Viktor was keeping a secret from him.But he starts to forget. There’s so much he doesn’t understand, from the unexplainable gaps in his memory to his even more unexplainable boyfriend, and his worries about Viktor’s secret are pushed to the back of his mind.Soon he finds out that Viktor’s secret and his memory problems are far more connected than he could even imagine.(HP AU ft. pureblood wizard viktor and suspicious muggle boyfriend yuuri)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> M for Magic for my AU Challenge!!
> 
> trigger warnings at the end !
> 
> i've been really into harry potter recently so here, u can have a somewhat harry potter AU

 

> And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it. - Roald Dahl, from  _The Minpins_

 

Viktor was keeping a secret from him.

Yuuri was determined to find out what it was.

Honestly, Yuuri has always known that Viktor was somewhat... odd. 

He always thought that it was somewhat rude to call him out on it, so Yuuri had just taken all of his quirks in stride. Besides, Yuuri couldn't deny that Viktor was sweet and charming and handsome--and Yuuri loved him, he really did.

But sweet and charming and handsome didn't hide the fact that Viktor was keeping something from him--and Yuuri didn't mean the kind of secrets that Viktor usually kept from him, like how he accidentally broke the TV (for the nth time. Seriously, Yuuri didn't understand how it seemed like Viktor had never seen a TV before him) or those weird owls that came that Viktor kept trying to hide from him. A big secret.

There was something niggling at the back of his mind hinting at what he didn't know, but no matter how hard he reached out and tried to grasp it, it slipped away like water. His head throbbed and Yuuri rubbed at his temple in irritation.

"Maybe Viktor left behind a husband and kids in Russia and that's where he goes to," Guang Hong hissed, his eyes wide before he let out a stifled gasp, hands slapping down on the table as he leaned in closer. "Or! Maybe he's a Russian spy! Or he's in the mafia!"

They stared at him, various expressions on their face but Guang Hong barreled on, his voice getting more and more passionate as he continued to list all the possible secrets Viktor was keeping from him.

"Maybe he's a stripper at night trying to get money just to live! Maybe he's a refugee! Or maybe he grew up in a testing facility and that's why he doesn't know anything about the modern world!"

"Guang Hong," Leo said mildly and Guang Hong turned his head to look at him, eyes wild. Leo opened his mouth to cut him off but Guang Hong stood up, his hands on his cheeks.

"Maybe he's a timetraveller! Maybe he came from a time without phones and stuff!"

They all paused at that, an honest to god real expression of consideration on Phichit's face. Leo simply looked amused and Seung Gil looked as if he was wondering if Guang Hong was being serious.

"You've been watching way too much telenovelas," Leo finally chuckled once Guang Hong sat back down. Seung Gil sat up at that, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Have you? I thought you were watching Korean dramas." His tone was mildly accusing. Guang Hong blinked up at him, a deer in the headlights expression on his face before he glanced over to Leo. Phichit laughed at Guang Hong's face.

"Really?" Phichit piped up mischievously, "I'd say it was too much fanfic."

"Phichit!" Guang Hong gasped in betrayal, his chubby cheeks turning red.

Yuuri sighed. "Can we please get back on topic? You can argue about what Guang Hong's watching or reading later." His head dropped, a dejected expression on his face and Phichit immediately leaned over to pat his shoulder.

"Well, I'm sure that Viktor loves you," Phichit assured, voice high and tone reasonable. Yuuri's lips twisted and he leaned his head on his hand.

"Does he?" He muttered morosely and his friends all immediately nodded.

"Definitely, not even a question," Leo said and Guang Hong nodded, eyes bright. Seung Gil raised a delicate eyebrow, as if asking if Yuuri was seriously doubting Viktor's love for him.

Yuuri nodded reluctantly, his shoulders relaxing as he sighed. 

"How about you ask him outright?" Seung Gil suggested. Yuuri made a face.

"What do I say? 'Hey Viktor, I know you're keeping a secret, can you just tell me what it is?’”

They stared at him.

Yuuri paused, taking in their expressions before he shook his head, face paling. "No. No, I can't do that. Guys--"

 

*

 

"Hey, I know you're keeping a secret from me and--Can you just tell me what it is?" Yuuri asked, tripping over his words as he rushed through his question.

Viktor blinked, his spoon halfway through his mouth. Yuuri flushed as Viktor simply stared at him, spoon slowly lowering. He frowned, a far away look on his face as he avoided Yuuri’s gaze and Yuuri’s heart thudded loudly in his chest. He couldn’t help but catalogue the minute expressions on Viktor’s face, as if it would help him figure out just what exactly Viktor was keeping from him.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Viktor turned to pin Yuuri with an intense stare.

“I can’t.”

Yuuri opened his mouth and faltered, drawing back to put distance between the two of them. That was practically a confirmation that Viktor was keeping something from him and couldn’t tell him. Unbidden, a sea of resentment and hurt started to swell up within him, no matter how hard Yuuri tried to push it down. Viktor loved him, he knew that, Yuuri was sure, but this secret that Viktor was keeping from him had gone on far too long. It was a big part of Viktor, and Yuuri couldn’t find it in himself to truly say that he knew Viktor. How could he love someone who he didn’t truly know?

Viktor sighed and moved his chair closer towards Yuuri, an apologetic expression on his face. “Yurochka, I love you.” His tone was serious.

“Please trust me,” Viktor said quietly as he reached out to grab Yuuri’s hands. Yuuri released a long, slow breath as he nodded. He did. Of course he did.

“I—You keeping things from me…” Yuuri trailed off, unable to word his thoughts and feelings correctly. “It hurts me.” That didn’t even come close to the breadth and the width of what Yuuri was feeling right now, the betrayal and the pain that had taken root ever since Yuuri had noticed.

Viktor frowned, a pained look in his eyes. “That’s the last thing I want. I just want you to be happy. But I can’t tell you, Yuuri.”

Yuuri’s lips thinned. He pulled his hands back from Viktor, the loss of contact immediately off putting. He looked away and clenched his fists. He was angry, and hurt, but he didn’t want Viktor to see or notice. If he stayed any longer, who knew what he’d say? 

“I can’t… I need to be alone,” Yuuri muttered. Viktor let him go, his eyes downcast. He looked regretful and in pain, but that wasn’t enough. Yuuri wanted the truth. His chest hurt. Yuuri’s imagination has always been wild, pushed and prodded onwards by a combination of his anxiety and his insecurities, and it didn’t help that Yuuri could still remember each and every one of Guang Hong’s wild theories.

Any one of them, no matter how ridiculous, could actually be true, and Yuuri wouldn’t lie. He had spent sleepless nights just pondering and thinking about the possibilities, the likeliness of all the secrets Viktor could be keeping from him.

How could Viktor claim to love him yet keep something of such magnitude from him? If there was anything Yuuri knew, it was that Viktor loved him… But did Yuuri truly know Viktor?

Yuuri has never been a fan of communication. He hated to talk about his feelings, hated letting people in. It took everything in him to allow himself to be vulnerable around Viktor, to show Viktor who he truly was. Viktor has seen him at his worst, at his drunkest, at the times when anxiety gripped his chest and held him down and yet…

The courage that it had taken for Yuuri to confront his lover was gone. Nothing had come out of it, only the confirmation that yes, Viktor was lying to him, keeping something from him.

Was he at fault? Is he the one wrong to be expecting full disclosure from his lover? He doesn’t keep things from Viktor. He doesn’t like to share, yes, but if Viktor were to ask, Yuuri would readily tell him. Maybe Viktor deserved his privacy, deserved to be able to keep his secrets. But Yuuri couldn’t help but feel as if that made their relationship very uneven.

But what could he do? There was nothing to be done.

Yuuri stews in silence for the remainder of the week, choosing to keep his feelings from Viktor. Petty? Yes. Healthy? Definitely not. But he let himself have it. Viktor had his secrets, Yuuri could have his too.

And then, of course, Viktor mentions that his friend is coming over to visit.

“Your friend?” Yuuri asked worriedly and Viktor nodded slowly. 

“Yes, his name is Chris. We met in school.”

Yuuri perked up at this. Viktor had never talked about his school days much before, and Yuuri was starving for any bit of information he could get.

“Met in school?” he prodded, “So you studied together?”

Viktor hummed and then shook his head. “No, ah, our schools were… friends, of a sort. He studied in France, and I in Russia, and there was an… exchange program.” He picked his words carefully and Yuuri frowned.

“He went to your school in Russia?”

“You can say that,” Viktor said noncommitedly.

Yuuri's lips pursed. "So," he hesitated, "he's French then?"

"Oh, no, he's from Switzerland. He just studied in France." Viktor gave him a blinding bright smile. “Anyway! I think you’d like him! He’s very nice. Very flirty though, but don’t mind him, he has a boyfriend and he’s very loyal."

Yuuri could sense a change of topic as well as anyone, and so he backed down, smiling gingerly. “Alright."

 

*

 

Well.

Viktor was right, in a way. Yuuri did like Chris. Chris was overly flirtatious, his teasing words almost a show in itself, and he moved with a sort of grace that Yuuri associated with Minako. A dancer's elegance. He was confident in his body and in his beauty and it showed.

He was… weird though, in the same sort of weird that Viktor was. In the way that he was oddly clueless on most technology, to the degree that was just unacceptable unless you were Amish or something.

"Ah, yes! The fellytone!" Chris announced as he clapped his hands and stared intently at the television, his eyes wide with interest, almost as if he had never seen one before in his life. It kind of reminded Yuuri of the first time Viktor came over to his house, and his own reaction to Yuuri's TV. Viktor's eyes darted to where Yuuri was hanging up his coat, before he strode over to Chris and slapped his shoulder.

"Chris!" Viktor's laugh was over the top and forced. "You must be mixing up your English words again! That's a television, not a telephone!"

He glanced at Yuuri again and smiled. "He's lived in France for years now you see, and you know how the French feel about the English." He gave an airy, dismissive laugh, waving his hand delicately. Confused, Yuuri just nodded and gave a strained smile back.

He pretended that everything was okay, even if his anxiety was shooting uncomfortable suggestions at him that Yuuri had no desire to dwell in.

His eyes darted at the easy way Chris touched Viktor, a frown on his lips. Maybe Viktor was… No. He was secretive, but he wouldn't do that… Right? Yuuri trusted Viktor.

He felt off beat, unaware how to react around Viktor's friend. This was, after all, the first of Viktor's friends that he had met. Right? There was this vague thought that he had met Viktor's friends and family before but his memory was failing him, nothing specific coming to mind. He frowned. He had a vague recollection of a blonde teenager, loud and noisy with the same name as him, but the details… The details were eluding him, just somewhere there, like a word at the tip of his tongue, water tricking out of his grasp no matter how hard he tried to keep hold on it.

The boy… Who was he? He was related to Viktor, that must be true, but--

"Yuuri!" Viktor called out, a smile on his lips as he broke Yuuri off his reverie. "We'll be back in an hour. Are you cooking or would you like me to buy something?"

Yuuri shook his head to himself. It didn't matter if he couldn't remember. It must not be that important if his brain didn't feel the need to remember it. Maybe he just saw a picture.

"I can cook," he said, and smiled.

 

*

 

He overheard them after dinner. He was supposed to be in the kitchen fixing up, but he had realized he had forgotten his phone in the living room.

As he stepped closer towards the open door, he could hear snatches of their conversation.

"--should have included in your letter that I needed to brush up on my Muggle Studies! And really, Viktor. A Muggle?"

He tensed and plastered himself to the wall. His mother had taught him it was rude to eavesdrop, but he had the awful feeling that they were talking about him. He always felt like people were talking badly about him behind his back, even if they really weren't, but this time, Yuuri was sure about it.

"Yuuri's perfect," Viktor laughed, his tone in that familiar dismissive airiness that Yuuri heard so often from him.

"I have nothing against it, you know I'm not the sort to believe in the blood purity shit, but wouldn't you have preferred to date our sort of people?"

Their sort of people? Yuuri's hands trembled and he clasped them close towards him, his eyebrows drawn together. What was that supposed to mean? A bitter feeling seemed to claw up his gut. And Chris' English seemed pretty fine for someone Viktor claimed mixed up his English words. Yuuri frowned.

"Oh Chris, you know everyone just wants me for the money and the status--"

"Well of course! Your family is one of the oldest pureblood families in Russia, it's only natural--"

"But Yuuri is different. He loves me for me, Chris, and--"

Makkachin barked and Yuuri jolted, his eyes wide.

Viktor and Chris immediately stopped talking. Quickly, Yuuri backed away, taking care to stay quiet as he slipped back into the kitchen.

When Viktor and Chris came to check on him, all Yuuri did was smile at the both of them, and pretended he had never left.

 

*

 

"So, how's your newest visitor?"

Yuuri paused, his face twisting as he tried to find the right words to describe Chris. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "Odd. In the way that Viktor is."

"Really," Phichit said in interest. "And I would have thought for sure that Viktor's brand of odd was one of a kind."

"Fellow timetraveller!" Guang Hong hissed from beside him, head tilted to the side from where it was pressed to his knees and Yuuri's lips twitched in amusement, despite the situation.

"It's like he didn't know what a TV was," Yuuri said in disbelief, shaking his head as he stretched out his leg. Without a word, Phichit scooted over to him and helped him stretch, already warm and stretched himself. Yuuri had been a little late today, the rest of their little dance troupe already mid-warm up and stretching. "Last night, I went to get a drink of water and it really seemed as if he was trying to talk to them."

"Them?" Leo asked distractedly, eyes on his phone as he scrolled through their playlist.

"The people on TV," Yuuri clarified, raising his eyes up to the ceiling. So weird. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure that Viktor tried to do the same thing the first few times. He frowned. Were all of Viktor's friends like that?

 _Yes_ , a little voice whispered in his mind. _Yes they are._

But he's never met any of Viktor's friends before. Has he?

 

*

 

_"--the last time Nikiforov! We can't keep--"_

_"I'm sorry, it was an accident, I--"_

_Yuuri groaned and immediately, the two voices stopped talking. Footsteps sounded out through the room as one of them approached him and kneeled at his side._

_"Yuuri," Viktor whispered. Yuuri blinked blearily, his eyes adjusting and catching on the silver of his boyfriend's hair, the beautiful blue of his eyes._

_"Viktor," he mumbled, a little incoherently. "Wha happened?"_

_"Everything will be fine," Viktor murmured, reaching out to stroke his face. "Everything will be fine."_  
  
_"Step aside, Nikiforov," the other man grunted. Viktor hesitated, just for a second, before he pulled away, settling himself at Yuuri's side and leaving him completely vulnerable to the man and his stick._

_"I'm sorry, Yuuri," Viktor said quietly._

_"What?" Yuuri slurred, his eyes blinking slowly up at his boyfriend._

_"I'm sorry."_

_The man raised his stick and pointed it at Yuuri._

_"Obliviate."_

_A flash of blue-green light, Viktor's eyes bright with regret._

Yuuri shot up off his bed, his heartbeat racing in his chest and his eyes wide. He looked around him at the dark room, at Viktor sleeping his by side peacefully. Moonlight bathed his features and casted it in an ethereal glow.

What had he been dreaming about?

He tried to settle back into the warmth and comfort of his bed, his thoughts racing, the cold sweat drying uncomfortably on the back of his neck.

He couldn't… He couldn't remember.

Beside him, Viktor shifted and mumbled in his sleep. Yuuri glanced at him. He was… He had been worried, about something… about Viktor. Viktor was keeping a secret from him.

Yuuri frowned and stared out at the window.

"Yuuri," Viktor muttered and Yuuri's eyes slid to his lover. Viktor blinked up at him blearily, sleep hazing his eyes. "You okay? What's wrong?" 

Yuuri opened his mouth and stopped. He frowned. What had he been thinking about? He couldn't remember.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Chapter warnings: descriptions of anxiety multiple times.

 

> When particularly intense memories needed to be erased, it often left the victim disoriented for a short period of time, as happened with the Roberts family after the Quidditch World Cup in 1994. - Harry Potter wikia

"Sorry I'm late!" Yuuri burst with an apologetic wince, a red flush on his cheeks. He had forgotten which turn to take on the way to the studio. His friends looked up from where they were already stretching on the floor. Yuuri sighed, rubbing at the back of his head. He stripped off his jacket and dumped his bag on the chair before he hurried over to sit down on the floor beside Phichit, as customary.

"So I'm doing an Indo-China trip, right," Phichit immediately started, not even looking up from his phone the moment Yuuri dropped on the floor. He made an agreeable sound in response and Phichit continued, "I already have a list of what I'm going to bring back for everyone, but what would Viktor want? What's his favorite color?"

"Oh, his favorite color's --" Yuuri abruptly stopped, faltering. He opened his mouth and then closed it, shoulders slumping as his memory failed him "Um."

"You forgot his favorite color?" Phichit asked, laughing as he finally looked up to give Yuuri a squinty look. Yuuri laughed too, after a second, even as his mouth twisted. He knew this, he should, he remembered practically everything that Viktor told him because Viktor already told him so little.

"Ask me again in a few minutes, it's on the tip of my tongue," he told Phichit, grimacing slightly. Phichit snorted and dropped his phone in between them.

"We'll start ahead, go warm up," Phichit told him as he stood up, doing a final hamstring stretch. "We'll just start with Leo's solo."

"Alright," Yuuri replied, forcing a smile. Phichit paused, and gave him a concerned look, but Yuuri quickly waved him off, his smile widening.

*

Yuuri quietly opened the door, rolling his shoulders back as he tried in vain to get rid of the tightness. Maybe he could ask Viktor to give him a shoulder massage, he was exceptionally talented in it.

The sounds of dishes clattering reached his ears and Yuuri smiled as he turned towards it and made his way to the kitchen. He stepped inside and--

A pause. A blur. He felt dazed.

Yuuri closed his eyes and opened them to stare blankly at the sink. It took a moment before his eyes refocused on Viktor washing the dishes, his back to Yuuri. The lines of his shoulders were tight. Yuuri had the urge to run his hands through them, to press a kiss to the slope of Viktor's neck and to wrap his arms around Viktor's slim waist and bury his face in his shirt.

He walked forward and did just that. Viktor tensed, just for a moment against his front and then his body relaxed as he turned to face Yuuri and give him a smile.

"You're home early."

_"You're home early," Viktor said, his eyes wide. Yuuri stared in disbelief at the dishes floating in midair behind him, soap and water washing them as if an invisible hand was guiding it. Viktor glanced at the sink, and the dishes abruptly fell, like a puppet whose strings were cut._

"Yeah," Yuuri replied, a little dazed. He blinked. Absentmindedly, he reached up to rub in between his eyes, eyebrows scrunching together at the throbbing he could feel in his head. What was he thinking about? "Phichit realized he forgot to feed his hamsters, so we ended early."

Viktor made a small noise of amusement. Yuuri pulled away and stepped in beside Viktor.

"Need some help?" he asked, and Viktor glanced down at him, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Aw, you're so sweet, Yuuri!" Viktor crooned and Yuuri could feel his face turn red. He looked away and picked up one of the dishes Viktor had left soaped up, ready to be rinsed.

_The plates crashed on the floor, cracking into pieces, the sound impossibly loud in the silent of the room. Yuuri couldn't do anything but stare. A thin cut from the broken plate on Viktor's bare foot started to bleed._

_"Fuck," Viktor cursed and brandished a stick. "Reparo."_

_The pieces flew back into the plates that they used to be._

"Yuuri?"

Yuuri jolted and looked up to meet Viktor's eyes, breaking his blank fixation on the dish in front of him as he tried to find cracks that he felt should be there. There were none. They were as they used to be, flawless ceramic. Even the painted flowers on the edges of the plate looked shinier than they used to be.

"Are you okay?" Viktor asked in concern. "You spaced out for a bit."

"Yeah," Yuuri automatically answered, voice a little dull. "Are these new?" He asked Viktor uncertainly as he waved the plate he was about to rinse.

"Oh, no," Viktor answered easily with barely a glance at the said dish. "We got that when we moved in, remember?"

"Oh," Yuuri replied a little dimly. "Right."

He glanced down.

There was a fresh cut on Viktor's foot.

"Yuuri?"

He met Viktor's eyes, clear blue, and--

_"Obliviate."_

_Blue-green light._

"I'm fine," Yuuri said and smiled.

*

"Viktor." Yuuri nudged Viktor's side with his foot. Viktor looked away from where he had been staring, entranced at the television. Honestly, at least he wasn’t trying to talk to the people in it anymore, that had been weird.

"Hmm?"

"What's your favorite color?"

Viktor gave him an odd, semi-frustrated look. "You literally just asked me that a few minutes ago."

"Oh," Yuuri muttered, a little embarrassed. He shifted in his seat, his chest heavy. "Did I?" Viktor gave him a fond look of exasperation and patted his calves as he nodded his head. Yuuri frowned, hands momentarily tightening on the blanket he had draped over himself. Viktor turned back to the TV, eyes riveted once more on the show that Yuuri couldn't even tell you the title of.

He still didn't know what Viktor's favorite color was.

*

"So what happened to Chris?" Guang Hong asked in interest, leaning over to prop his chin up in his hands. Yuuri blinked and rose up from a stretch.

"Chris?" He asked in confusion. Who was Chris?

"Viktor's fellow time traveler," Leo laughed softly, nudging Guang Hong's shoulder, a shared inside joke that Yuuri wasn't privy to, even as he felt like he should be. Yuuri laughed too automatically. When Guang Hong and Leo looked away, Yuuri's lips pressed into a straight line, an itchy feeling beginning underneath his skin as he bit down on the inside of his lip.

"Yuuri?" Guang Hong prodded.

"He left," Yuuri answered. _I think, at least_ , he thought to himself. Guang Hong made a small noise of disappointment and Leo patted his arm sympathetically.

"You know," Leo started thoughtfully. "Every time you mention one of Viktor's friends, they always sound so weird."

"Really?" Yuuri asked, shifting around uncomfortably. A drop of sweat dripped down the side of his face and Yuuri hastily wiped it away, ignoring the painful clench of his heart.

"Oh!" Phichit cut in, nudging Yuuri to the side. Yuuri shifted over to let Phichit lie down on his stomach, legs crossed behind him as he propped his head upon his hands. "Remember the other Yuri? So cute!"

"The short blonde one?" Guang Hong laughed, covering his mouth.

"Short?" Leo repeated, raising his eyebrow at Guang Hong. "You have a lot of room to talk."

"Hey!" Guang Hong protested, smacking Leo's shoulder as he huffed. "I'm taller than him!"

"Really?" Phichit grinned, already pulling out his phone. "Preeeetty sure I remember you being shorter."

As his three friends laughed and pushed each other around, Guang Hong's pout on full on display as they bent over Phichit's phone, Yuuri's smile felt like it was frozen in place. Other… Yuri?

His hands clenched on top of his legs, fingers digging into the spandex of his pants. Why couldn't he remember? His breathing hitched, his throat locking up and Yuuri swallowed down the knot, the anxiety that was clawing up his chest. He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

"Look, Yuuri," Phichit said insistently, even as he laughed. He shoved his phone in front of Yuuri's face and Yuuri's eyes caught on to the blonde teen that was in between him and Phichit. There was a scowl on his face, his arms crossed tight against his chest.

_"Oi, katsudon, send me that pic."_

"So?" Leo laughed, poking Yuuri in the side. "He's taller than Guang Hong right?"

"I'm taller!" Guang Hong whined, his cheeks turning red.

"No, Yuri is, sorry," Yuuri told him apologetically, and Leo and Phichit burst into another round of laughter. As the three of them moved on to the topic of inserting heels into shoes to add height, Yuuri's mind drifted.

A nudge to his side broke him out of his confused reverie, and Yuuri met Phichit's concerned gaze. "You okay?" his friend mouthed and Yuuri hurriedly nodded. Halfheartedly, he joined their conversation.

But even then, his mind was still stuck on the blonde teen in the picture.

*

"Yuuri?"

"Yuuri!"

Yuuri jolted and dropped the spatula he was holding. It clattered on the floor, the sound of it loud and grating and Yuuri winced.

"What are you doing?" Viktor demanded, holding tight onto his wrist, and Yuuri's head turned towards the meat he had been trying to cook. It was hopelessly burnt now, black and steaming smoke that raised up and obscured his vision.

In the background, the smoke alarm beeped noisily, and finally, the smell of the ruined food reached his nose.

"What?" He said uncertainly, and Viktor frowned at him, still looking a little angry, but it was overshadowed by the worry that dominated his features.

"What's up with you?" Viktor asked, finally letting go of Yuuri. Viktor nudged him to the side with a gentle, but firm push, and worked to turning off the stove and taking off the pan. Yuuri watched him helplessly as he dumped the remnants of what he had been cooking into the trash and then place the pan back on the stove.

Viktor turned to him, frown still in place, and Yuuri realized that he had been waiting for Yuuri to reply.

"I spaced out," Yuuri answered uncertainly, still staring at the pan, his gaze distant. How long had he been cooking? He didn't remember turning on the stove or putting on the ham. Was it ham? Or chicken? He couldn't recall. His chest tightened, his stomach fluttering and he swallowed. It had been taking him longer and longer to cook, but it had never been this bad before…

"You spaced out?" Viktor repeated, his tone disbelieving. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes." He sounded frustrated. Yuuri shrank into himself and touched his cheek self-consciously, looking away.

"I'm sorry."

Viktor sighed and leaned down to press a gentle kiss on his forehead before he nudged him away in the direction of the living room.

"I'll cook for tonight, love. You must be stressed."

"Yes, sorry," Yuuri murmured. He squeezed Viktor's hand. "I love you, thank you."

Viktor smiled at him. "I love you too."

*

Makkachin nudged at his leg insistently, tail wagging, and Yuuri reached down absentmindedly to pet her. He looked around his surroundings and felt very lost.

He knew this place. They passed by this place every day on the way home, and it was in their usual route while walking Makkachin.

And yet, Yuuri couldn't remember how to get home.

His hand tightened momentarily around Makkachin's leash, afraid that she was going to disappear and leave him alone in this strange, unfamiliar, familiar place.

He swallowed. He looked around himself once more, peering down each road in the crossroads he had stopped in. He could feel himself to panic, his mouth drying up. He felt dizzy, his insides quivering and he looked at the signs once more, desperate for something to jumpstart his memory.

He had been standing here for what seemed like hours, debating with himself where to go.

Finally, Yuuri gave up and pulled his phone out of his pocket to search up on the maps where his own house was.

1 minute away, it said. Yuuri blinked.

He turned around, and where his back had just been facing, stood his house. He had already passed by it, and he hadn't even noticed.

*

Yuuri's head was on Viktor's shoulder, their breathing slow and even as they cuddled close together on their bed. At their feet, Makkachin laid, a warm and heavy weight that sent his heart beating slower, calmer. Yuuri smiled to himself, content.

"How was your day?" Viktor asked quietly, rubbing idly at his arm. Yuuri yawned.

"Tiring, I suppose, you know Makka doesn't like going to the vet."

There's a beat of silence, and then, "You brought Makka to the vet again?"

"Huh?" Yuuri asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean again?" He tilted his head up to meet Viktor's eyes, blue so dark and bemused.

"You brought her to the vet yesterday. I thought you were planning to have lunch with Yuuko and then do some groceries?"

  
"No, that's tomorrow," Yuuri automatically answered, even as his hand reached out to his phone, clutching it tightly to his chest like a lifeline. He ignored Viktor's next question as he unlocked his phone, desperate for something that would reassure or confirm his beliefs.

**Thanks for lunch! I'll pay next time <3**

Yuuri felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Hurriedly, he swiped through his conversation with Yuuko, their chat flying through his vision.

**I'm omw, you there?**

**Yes! Near the window, I've ordered already!!**

**See u!**

He exited their chat, frantic now, switching over to his Photos app. A picture of him and Yuuko smiling, their food in front of them, popped up. Yuuri stared, a chill passing through him and sending his hair standing up. He has never seen this photo before.

He scrolled back earlier, stopping on a series of photos of Makkachin looking forlorn and betrayed in the seat of the car, and on the vet's table. He remembered taking these just hours ago! And yet--the text on top of the photo said differently.

**Yesterday, at 4:31 PM.**

He shot off of the bed, ignoring Viktor's calls of his name behind him and Makkachin's whine. He raced to the kitchen, stumbling on the floor. His heart was pounding in his chest, fear and confusion and adrenaline fighting it out inside him and making his legs useless.

He yanked open the refrigerator, the one he knew had been half-empty before he brought Makkachin to the vet.

It was full, filled to the brim with new groceries.

Yuuri dropped to his knees, staring in horror. Maybe it was Viktor, he thought to himself dimly, even as he knew it couldn't be true. Viktor never did the groceries.

"Yuuri, what's wrong?" Viktor asked from behind him. Slowly, Yuuri shook his head.

"I don't know," he whispered. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Everything was going so wrong--He couldn't remember so many things, this wasn't like him. He didn't understand, he felt so lost and confused and--

"Yuuri!" Viktor was gripping his shoulders, shaking him, and Yuuri came to, realizing how frantic his breathing had become. His eyes were glazed over with tears he hadn't noticed, wet tracks slipping down his face.

"What's wrong?" Viktor urged, and a loud sob abruptly broke through Yuuri. He collapsed on the kitchen floor, Viktor's arms around him the only thing keeping him upright, and he was shaking now, his cries loud as he buried his face in Viktor's shoulder.

Viktor held him close, his arms tight around Yuuri, and Yuuri clutched on to his back helplessly, desperately.

"I don't know what's wrong with me!" He blubbered through his tears, throat catching and his words coming out broken as he tried to breathe through his tears. "I don't--I don't know, oh god, there's something wrong with me," he sobbed, trying in vain to pull Viktor closer towards him, clawing at him.

All the anxiety and the confusion of the past few days, weeks, had built up into a giant wrecking ball in his chest that Yuuri couldn't ignore anymore. All he had was questions and no answers, just the fear and the panic that had started to follow him every single way in his life. He was sick, he must be, it was the only explanation--a brain tumor, maybe, and just the thought sent a fresh wave of tears out of him.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Viktor tried to soothe, a little awkwardly, as he always was when confronted with a crying Yuuri.

"There is," Yuuri insisted, gasping through his tears, "There is."

"Don't worry," Viktor whispered, clutching him close and pressing a comforting kiss to his brow. "I'll fix it. Whatever it is, I'll fix it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a semi-related note, the symptoms of dementia include, but aren't limited to: memory loss,  
> asking the same questions repeatedly, forgetting common words when speaking, mixing words up, taking longer to complete familiar tasks, such as following a recipe, misplacing items in inappropriate places, getting lost while walking or driving in a familiar area, having changes in mood or behavior for no apparent reason.
> 
> anyway! next chapter will be ~doctor's visits~! im wondering how im going to dive into the ethics of obliviating muggles, but i think im going to do it via another wizarding character, a muggleborn maybe. i mean, think about it. do wizards and witches check up on the Muggles they've obliviated after traumatic events? or do they just wham pow delete memory and leave without thinking of the consequences??? and like??? lockhart is an extreme example of memory tampering going wrong, and while Viktor might be a good wizard, who's to say he's any good at memory charms?? and do obliviation charms work by just deleting the memory, leaving unexplainable gaps, or do they like, rearrange memories and add fake memories??? theory is that it depends on how good ur memory charm is!

**Author's Note:**

> WARNINGS: non-consensual memory manipulation, multiple obliviations that lead to lasting memory problems!! viktor does Dubious Things to keep the wizarding world a secret, and this is considered normal for them.
> 
> i'm on [tumblr!](gia-comeatme.tumblr.com)


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